"No More Kings" is a song in Schoolhouse Rock!, which can be seen in America Rock. The song teaches us how America was founded.
Lyrics[]
Rockin' and a-rollin', splishin' and a-splashin',
Over the horizon, what can it be?
The pilgrims sailed the sea
To find a place to call their own.
In their ship Mayflower,
They hoped to find a better home.
They finally knocked on Plymouth Rock
And someone said, "We're there.
It may not look like home
But at this point I don't care."
Oh, they were missing Mother England,
They swore their loyalty until the very end.
"Anything you say, King, It's OK, King,
You know it's kinda scary on your own.
Gonna build a new land the way we planned.
Could you help us run it till it's grown?"
They planted corn, you know,
They built their houses one by one,
And bit by bit they worked
Until the colonies were done.
They looked around, yeah, up and down,
And someone said, "Hurray!
If the king could only see us now
He would be proud of us today."
They knew that now they'd run their own land,
But George the Third still vowed he'd rule them till the end.
"Anything I say, do it my way now.
Anything I say, do it my way.
Don't you get to feeling independent
'Cause I'm gonna force you to obey."
He taxed their property,
He didn't give them any choice.
And back in England,
He didn't give them any voice.
That's called taxation without representation
And it's not fair!
But when the Colonies complained
The king said: "I don't care!"
"He even has the nerve to tax our cup of tea.
To put it kindly, King, we really don't agree.
Gonna show you how we feel, we're gonna dump this tea!
And turn this harbor into the biggest cup of tea in history!"
They wanted no more Mother England.
They knew the time had come
For them to take command.
"It's very clear you're being unfair, King,
No matter what you say, we won't obey.
Gonna hold a revolution now, King,
And we're gonna run it all our way!"
With no more kings (We're gonna elect a president!)
No more kings (He's gonna do what the people want!)
No more kings (We're gonna run things our way!)
No more kings (Nobody's gonna tell us what to do!)
Rockin' and a-rollin', splishin' and a-splashin',
Over the horizon, what can it be?
Looks like it's going to be a free country.
Trivia[]
- In reality, this cartoon is unfair to King George III of Britain. He was not directly responsible for colonial policy, or increasingly much official policy at all by the time of his reign. Britain was becoming a Constitutional Monarchy with the King bound by the will of the British Parliament, which was the governing body responsible for the colonial policy decisions that the American colonies were rebelling against.
- Tom Yohe, one of the producers, voices King George III's laughs and yells when he summons the English soldiers in the song.
- Voted #13 of the top 25 favorite Schoolhouse Rock! songs.
Goofs[]
- During the song, King George III's crown and clothes switch colors in some scenes.
- When King George III looks at the audience during the line "That's called taxation without representation, and it's not fair!", George's crown turns white for a split-second, then turns back to red when George laughs.